The 2018 Cardinal football season marked the second time in North Central College history that the program has strung together a Conference Championship streak of three or more in a row (2006-2013; 2016-2018).  Our goal is to continue the trend and eventually break a longstanding CCIW record of eight in a row shared by Augustana in the 1980s and North Central from 2006-2013.  That continues to be a "God-sized", "Chase The Lion" goal which we will work feverishly to achieve.
 
Our graduating senior class was an amazing group of hard-working, selfless leaders who finished their careers as 3x CCIW Champions, posting a conference win/loss record of 29-3!  We concluded the 2018 season as the d3football.com 8^th ranked team in the nation and I am eternally grateful to this group of young men for their work ethic, dedication to the program and for the standard that they upheld throughout their four years here at North Central.

Our loss to Bethel in the 2^nd round of the Division III Playoffs last year still stings.  It was a game that we know we should have won, and will continue to use that sting as added fuel to the fires that burn within us.  Immediately following that loss, our coaching staff was on the road and in high schools finding the best talent in Illinois and our surrounding states.  With the help of our phenomenal admissions office staff, we had an amazing recruiting year, bringing in 70 new first-year and transfer student-athletes.  Our emphasis was to find as much speed as we could while still addressing the needs that always exist at the line of scrimmage to provide necessary depth.  We built this recruiting class around 13 players that run sub-4.6 40-yard dashes.  For the Division III level, that is very fast!

This summer's prospect camps in June brought a record 1,000 prospective student-athletes to campus!  Our previous record was set last summer with just shy of 700 student-athletes.  These athletes competed hard and were coached by our coaching staff which gave them a feel for our approach and coaching style.  We were joined at these camps by FBS programs: The University of Minnesota, Indiana University, Ohio University, Michigan State University, the University of Cincinnati, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Wyoming.  More than ten different FCS programs were present as well.  These camps provide us with an incredible opportunity to watch these young men compete, but also to observe their character to see if they would fit into our outstanding culture. Hosting these camps will, without a doubt, help us immensely in our recruiting efforts. 

One week following our camp season, 36 players and a large group of parents and coaches embarked on a trip to Berlin and Prague.  It was an amazing experience filled with emotional sightseeing in Berlin and the majestic beauty of Prague.  Our players were amazing ambassadors not only for North Central College, but also for our country.  They once again made me and our coaches extremely proud!  The trip concluded with our 32-16 victory over a talented Prague Black Panthers team. 

We will report for fall camp on August 13^th, which is just around the corner.  We will begin the season as the 8^th ranked team in the nation per d3football.com.  We return two All-Americans (Broc Rutter and Sharmore Clarke) from last year's team and a third (Tommy Hyland) who was selected as a pre-season All-American!  Six All-Conference players return for the 2019 season as well, including the Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year (Broc Rutter) and the CCIW Offensive Lineman of the Year (Sharmore Clarke).  Overall, 17 starters will return from last year's team that finished the season 10-2.  We have lofty goals for this group!

The kindness and generosity of YOU, our loyal alumni and QB Club members, has enabled the North Central Football program to win eleven CCIW Championships over the last fourteen years.  We have achieved the 6^th best Division III winning percentage in the country over that time frame.  None of it would have been possible without your incredible contributions to our facility upgrades and equipment enhancements. 

Please consider joining the Quarterback Club this year. Whether you've been a steadfast Redzone member or this would be your first year in the club it's your support that is the driving force behind the success of our program.The Quarterback Club ensures that we have resources and equipment and this year's needs include; military-grade Kevlar head and body protection for our players, Normatec rehab & recovery ice boots, as well as other equipment and training for our players and coaches, which will help take us to the next level of performance on the field.

The expectation of Cardinal Football continues to be to graduate men of integrity, equipped to launch their careers and become self-sufficient men who make a difference in the world.  We expect to maintain the championship culture that exists here by building lifelong relationships with players, coaches, staff, our alumni and the team as a whole.  We expect to establish and maintain a 3.0 + Cumulative Team GPA annually.  We expect to WIN… ALL of our home games; THE BELL!; the outright CCIW Championship; and our 1^st National Championship.  We expect everyone in the organization to be Givers, Not Takers and to serve the community by acting as lighthouses in this dark world.  Finally, we expect our young men to learn the difference between a WANT ETHIC and a WORK ETHIC so that they will be fully prepared to succeed in the world.  With your ongoing support, we can continue to provide this unique culture to our players and coaches.

On behalf of the Thorne family, North Central College and the incredible young men that we get to coach, I sincerely thank you and wish for God's blessings to be upon all of you!

Go Cards!
Chase The Lion!
 
Sincerely,


Jeff Thorne
Head Football Coach